Return to Shamballa
by AnimeCookie93
Summary: Post-CoS. The brothers travel to Germany to uncover their father's secret research. What they don't know, is that their visit has much more meaning than they'd imagined. Trouble brews, lives are lost, reunions are had. Eventual EdWin.
1. Truth Behind Truths, I

**Return to Shamballa**

_Fullmetal Alchemist_

~o~

Chapter One:_ Truth Behind Truths, I_

Figures danced around in a dark area lighted only by the low light of a burning fire. Women, men, children alike, all dressed in draping clothes and gold bands around their arms and necks. The quiet strum of a guitar echoed within the small camp, adding to one of the calmest atmospheres Edward Elric had felt in a long time.

It had been almost six years since the death of his roommate and close friend, Alfons Heiderich. Six long, painful years of tracking, investigating, and disappointment. Along the way, he'd had to drop his father's name, more with pride than a curse after all his father had attempted to do. He couldn't have denied it and meant it; he loved and missed his father, but not only for himself.

A soft snore sounded from below him and Edward jolted to look down at the sleeping face of his brother on his lap, it now being the only source of comfort the youngest Elric could find in this new world, even after all that time. His amber irises saddened only slightly as his brother's face contorted with pain, confusion, sadness, and then… something else. Peace, maybe. I'd given up trying to decipher it. With his left hand, his right keeping him sitting upright on the wooden beam he was sitting on, he brushed a stray hair away from his little brother's eyes and stared somberly at the gypsies dancing below.

He'd met the traveling Roma tribe again only two years back, having followed failed leads on where to find the Uranium bomb. After almost losing his brother three times, he decided to give them a break and try to think things through. While going back to Munich to pay his respects to his dearly departed friend, he met up with Noah, the genuine Gypsy, and was invited to travel with her tribe until the war had at least calmed down.

"Nnh…" Al turned over again, and this time Ed got rather annoyed. With a sigh, he picked his brother up and carried him over to the small campground the gypsies had set up near the large campfire, now-bonfire, minding the arms that came swinging by and nearly made him drop his brother. With a quiet yelp, he spun into his and Al's tent and put him gently atop it, bringing the blanket to his chin and grinning as he turned back out.

"…Brother?"

Ed paused, turning slightly on his heel. "Sleep, Al. We're going to London soon; I have to stop by Dad's old apartment and get some documents, and then we're going back to Germany. It's going to be a long ride, so get all the sleep you can get." With that, he pushed the cloth threshold to the side, allowing his brother the slightest view of the silvery-white moon before his eyelashes fluttered shut.

_Munich… it's where it all began, and it's where it'll all end._

Ed, distracted in his thoughts, hadn't noticed that more of the Roma had joined in on the dancing and had managed to make it much more crowded. He'd dodged a swinging leg to the stomach, an arm at his head, a breast (from a female) bumping into his chest, and hair smacking him in the nose. It was a rough trail, but he made it to the second campfire in the back, the one smaller than the huge bonfire, where some older men and women talked about something the young man couldn't quite pay full attention to.

Ed didn't really worry about what they were talking about; even though he promised to do all he could for this world, the elders muses and political arguments were better without his input. Especially when he viewed the damage Europe had taken was no where near over. _We may be down, _he closed his eyes for a minute, the voices dimming down to incomprehensible murmurs. _But we aren't out!_

"Edward?" the quiet voice of Noah rang in his ears and he slowly looked at her. Her expression was soft but worried all the same. "What're you doing over here, don't you want to come dance?"

"Um, no, not right now," he said slowly, taking another sip of his scotch. "I'm not one for dancing. Maybe some other time?"

Noah looked at her long-time friend; she'd known him for almost six years, and the only things she knew about him were the things she had to peek inside his heart to see. After the situation when they'd first met, she could understand he wouldn't trust her so quickly. Not like his little brother did… a soft blush tainted her cheeks and she knelt in front of him. "You don't tell me anything. But even so… your face shows me what I need to see…"

Ed's amber irises bore deep into Noah's chocolate-brown ones, and for a minute she thought she saw something start to contort his face, as if her words hurt him, but his face was forcibly soft instead. "And what do you see, Noah." Of course, it was more of a demand to know instead of a question, and the Roma woman sighed and leaned up, cupping his cheek with her hand. Of course, the young man blushed.

"Loneliness. Sorrow… Betrayal."

That one word made a strangled gasp escape the Amestrian blond, and the Roma woman let her chocolate eyes warm and sparkle. Ed had to think of something other than home to hide the fact she'd completely hit the nail on the head. _How could she see right through me? Just like… just like Win-…_

Noah's eyes saddened and the brilliant chocolate-haired woman got up from her spot in front of him, her hand slipping from his cool skin. The light blush on his cheeks began to fade and he stood up, the top of his head reaching her forehead, and his golden eyes forcibly hardened. "I have no reason to feel those things. I've got Al, I'm going to the University… I have no reason to feel betrayed by anything." He, of course, couldn't suck the venom from the following words. "Stop peeking inside me, Noah."

With a small nod, the Roma woman pat his shoulder and went back to dance with the small group of children. Ed, too stubborn or 'manly' to want to partake in such activities, spun on his heel and made his way back to his and Al's tent.

**-x-**

In the middle of the night, Al awoke in a state of surprise.

The moon shone through the patched tent entrance, the wooden beam holding up the center slicing the light in two. One half illuminated his small cot while the other did the same to Edward's. As his steel-colored eyes followed the silvery-white gleam of moonlight, he slowly realized his brother was still awake.

One leg was bent, his right, his skin knee exposed as his white boxers reflected the brilliant white light. His left, auto-mail leg, the one given to him almost six years ago, was in excellent condition, albeit a bit scratched near his ankle. The further Al's eyes traveled, the more his eyes widened in shock; his brother's long, golden hair was loose and fanned around his face, his bangs hiding his ears, his cheeks shimmering… what? His brother's skin didn't shiver, it never had. It wasn't until his brother's eyes met his that he realized silent tears were falling down his face.

"Brother?"

"Can it, Al."

_Ouch._ Al took this opportunity to use his own power of seeing through his brother and swung his legs from the bed. Though he stood a half-inch taller than his brother, he still could not reach that unreachable distance his brother created to hide away his emotions. Being the one to find every single twitch and crease in his brother's face, Al knew exactly where to look to find his older brother's inner-most feelings; his mouth.

It was turned downward in a tight frown, thin pink lips pressed; keeping what remained of his loss of tear-control in. When Al reached his brother's cot, both brothers Elric got in a sitting position, Edward facing Alphonse, Alphonse facing his own cot. "Brother, you can't hide anything from me. I seriously don't know why you try." His voice, though calm and steady, was dripping with worry, and his elder brother merely snorted. "Seriously, Edward. You know I'm one of the only people who knows _you_. The _real_ you. Stop hiding behind this strong exterior and talk to me. _Please._"

A pregnant silence passed before Ed sighed in defeat. With an inward cheer and an outward smile, Al pat his brother's foot. "_Thank_ you. C'mon, tell me what's wrong."

"It's stupid. I shouldn't be feeling this after six years, Al. I'm almost 24 fucking years old." Ed crossed his legs, now sitting Indian-style, and stretched out his arm to stare at the lines in his palm. His golden eyes hardened, his damp cheeks forgotten, and he made a fist. His auto-mail squeaked in response. "We haven't even found a surefire lead to the Uranium bomb. What's worse, I don't even know why we're going to Munich. I just have a feeling."

Al slowly nodded, his movements lethargic as he brought one knee up and leaned his chin upon his knee. "I know. I've had the same feeling. That's why I didn't question your decision. At first, I thought it was so we could pay our respects again, which is the most logical explanation.

However, what I don't understand is why we're stopping in London. What could dad's old apartment have that we need?"

_Good question._ Ed ran a hand through his hair. Al sighed and snorted, amused. "Don't tell me that it's another 'feeling' you have. We can't go there based on a feeling, we've got to have some sort of hidden motive, Brother. Going to London 'just for giggles' isn't a good use of our time. You've got to have something planned."

Not another word was said about it after that. Especially after Ed's sour attitude quickly turned to one of wistful secret bliss. With a soft whisper, he asked his only remaining family, "How much do you think Amestris has changed?"

Al blinked and looked at his brother, quirking an eyebrow at his brother's question. "What? Brother, that was out of the bl-"

"Was it?" Ed's voice quieted as he heard a branch snap outside, but he dismissed it as he heard the zipper of a nearby tent. The nighttime air, crisp and chilly, wafted through a small hole in their tent made by a small sliver of wood. The golden-haired Amestrian shivered. "Go back to bed, I'm okay now."

Al gaped at his brother; he'd never outright asked the question himself, but never in a million years did he think his brother would. He reached out and, with a confused expression and his tongue curling over his top lip, he felt his brother's forehead before knocking on it. "Ack! Alphonse, what gives?"

"What's your last name?"

… "Elric!"

"What's our mother's name?"

"Trisha, you dolt!" a tick mark appeared, twitching.

"Do you love Winry, or don't you?"

… "I d- I don't! Well, I do, but she's my friend, I'm supposed to!" red cheeks obviously pointed out the obvious, and Alphonse merely sighed. "The hell is wrong with you, Al?"

"I was trying to figure out the same thing, Brother…" a light-brown eyebrow raised as he got up off his brother's Cot and walked slowly to his own. "Okay. I'll see you in the morning, then. You mind waking me up so I can help pack?"

Ed's expression was almost priceless; confusion mixed with bewilderment. "Uh, yeah. Sure. Night, Al."

The tent, soon thereafter, became silent.

* * *

><p>-really long intake of breath-<p>

So, yeah. This is what I've been working on, and looking over, and looking over some more, and yet again more looking over before this goes onto this site. Can you blame me? I'm paranoid, now that I've started writing.

This is longer than any first chapter of a chapter-fic I've written, right? xD; Well, the other chapters are about this length as well, so this'll most likely be my longest story in this fandom. (Yes, longer than _Home Is Where the Heart Is _or _Through the Looking Glass_) ...

Okay! Please review!

~Cookie

**EDIT: **There was something I needed to clean up, plus I made a few little changes here and there. Not much has changed, just used different words. (Also, I mentioned the elders talking about a war; Eby -EbonyIvoryy- pointed out that WWII doesn't start until a decade later. I had still been planning when I'd written this chapter way back when, and had written about a war that really wouldn't involve these elders. So, I changed that to the best of my ability, and it probably flows atrociously now. Can't quite do much about that.)


	2. Truth Behind Truths, II

Chapter Two:_ Truth Behind Truths, II_

Just like predicted, Edward was up the moment the sun rose.

It's not like his body hadn't become accustomed to waking up so early; when he lived in Munich with Alfons, he got up early to deliver rocket models to factories and would often find himself staying up late anyway, learning more about rocketry and, brace yourself, how to maintain his own auto-mail. (Which, if he could say so himself, was in surprisingly more-than-okay shape. Winry would be very proud, not like it mattered…)

"Unh…" As he got up from the cot, he felt a familiar sensation shoot from his toes to his shoulders: a sharp sting brought about by the slight frost that had met the dirt floor overnight. The entrance to the tent had blown open sometime while he and his brother were asleep, which he couldn't say he minded very much. If anything, his automail foot only felt a bit stiff from it being stretched out. The Amestrian blond looked down at his knee joint and smacked it a few times before hobbling over to his suitcase, rummaging for the half-empty oil can, with which he dropped a bit of the blackish liquid between his joints, feeling instant relief and bending his knee. "Ah…"

In a flash of gold, Edward grabbed his change of clothes; a white-button up and a pair of chocolate-brown pants, pressed how he liked them. He unbuttoned his vest and threw it onto his cot before reaching up to unbutton the first button of his button-up. He paused before staring at the finger joint of his auto-mail.

_"Tell her thanks… she always made the best."_

He was such… such an idiot. He didn't get to tell her that himself, and when he did, it was mostly said to cheer her up. He meant it, sure, but Winry hadn't necessarily understood that. He knew she knew it, that he appreciated it, but it wouldn't have hurt to have her hear him say it.

_"Edward…"_ the look on her face when their gazes met… it melted him. If he hadn't been on the ground already, he'd have fallen to his knees. He could barely contain the smile that spread to his face, and he'd murmured her name back. Not an "I've missed you," or an "I'm sorry," was said, at all, but he was sure she knew he meant it. An aching in his heart made him stumble backward – he blamed loss of balance due to the unevenness he now experienced, thanks to his final growth spurt – and proceeded unbuttoning his shirt to gaze at his automail.

The young man couldn't help but gape at it; it was surely the same old design Winry always used, but only slightly modified. It was a lighter material, both in color and in weight, and it just made him want to clap his hands. If Al hadn't been still asleep, he'd have done it, too.

_Speaking of Al…_ "Alphonse, it's time to pack."

"Ngyah… m'kay," responded the other brother Elric as two legs swung from the cot, feet lazily pushed to the ground as Al now rubbed at his eyes; an attempt to wake himself up faster, Edward guessed. "Wh… What time is it?"

_Good question._ Edward peeked at his watch and said softly, "Barely 7 o'clock. We're running a bit early, so no rush getting dressed. Go take a shower if you want."

Not yet fully awake, Al stumbled over to his own suitcase at the foot of his cot, clicking the latch and opening it, rummaging through it for a black button-up and matching black trousers – though they were really dark gray, but the Elrics were sick about arguing about specifics at this point in time – as well as a dark gray – also argued to be black under certain light fixtures – vest, matching his brother's more grown-up apparel. "You're not going to?"

"Nah, I showered late at night. Go on, we have a long trip ahead of us."

And, with that, the younger Elric nodded and shuffled out of the tent, leaving Edward to his thoughts.

**-x-**

_Edward walked over to the obnoxiously ringing telephone located in the Paris Inn, scowling at it before picking up the receiver and gnashing his teeth together; how dare this person wake him from his afternoon na—afternoon studies? "Hello?"_

_"Edward Elric?" the voice belonged to a Professor his father worked with at the University at Munich, one the Amestrian blond had met once long before the invasion of his home country. Ed voiced his recognition, leaning on the wall. "It's Professor Shayne Edelstein. I used to work with your father back before…"_

_"Yes…" Ed's voice was low, eyes hardening as the wooden planks in the floor, polished but aged, seemed to anger him. "It's nice to speak to you again, Professor Edelstein."_

_A soft chuckle on the other line told Ed the man did not call bearing bad news. (Like he could bear it anyway.) "You too, Edward. Listen, I found some old notebooks written by your father and thought you might like them. They discuss you, your brother, and some 'other world'. I'm not sure if it's anything of vital importance, but…"_

_"Oh," Ed's interest was piqued, and he let his jaw drop only slightly. "I'll be in Munich in about a week. I have business there, anyway. See you, then."_

_"Goodbye, Edward."_

_When Ed hung up the receiver, he felt rejuvenated… reborn. His father's notes__back then, on__that night, were incomplete but legitimate. Given years of newfound knowledge, there might be a possibility that…_

**-x-**

Ed broke from his reverie as he heard his brother walk back in, caramel-colored hair dripping with water, tinny eyes closed contently as he threw his dirty clothes into a sack and stored it in the flap of his suitcase, shutting it and easily locking it shut. "Ready?"

After slipping on his new shirt, and taking off and replacing his old boxers and trousers with new ones, he grabbed his long mocha trench coat and slung it over his shoulder. "Sure." After stuffing his dirty clothes in his own sack and shutting his suitcase, the brothers walked out of their tent and onto the busy road that split the barracks in two. With a nod, Ed couldn't hide a smile as children cheered and waved at the brothers. Al ran over, putting his things down, and played with them while his older brother walked over to the small coffee stand, ordering one dark coffee with sugar and one with a splash of cream and sugar.

Ed's nose twitch as a single drop of cream splashed onto his hand, and he was quick to wipe it onto his white shirt. The man spoke with a thick Roma accent, and Ed replied saying "_Don't like milk_."

The man merely laughed, throaty and throwing a hand above his head as if hearing the funniest joke, and a sigh escaped the blond as he took the two cups of steaming, bitter drink and paid the man the appropriate amount before making his way toward his brother, narrowly escaping being tackled by a young Roma girl.

"Hey! Watch the coffee!"

* * *

><p>Fog blanketed the grassy hills of Resembool, silhouettes of the town only barely visible. The morning sky was lightly dusted with white-gray clouds and a light blue, looking almost like a fairy tale morning. Of course, Amestris was anything but a fairy tale.<p>

It had been six years since the country had fought in one of the shortest yet groundbreaking – quite literally – wars shared between the alchemical world and the mechanical one. Six years since anything remotely exciting happened, excluding of course the end of the military's hold over the community. Now, the government was run by a Council located in the new Central City.

After a couple of years, the Council had finalized the start of the new democracy, assigning a President to Amestris. Understandably, there was only one person the community trusted to make the right decision. Too bad that person was stationed in the East, running Eastern Command with his team of five working underneath him. As a temporary place-holder, current-Fuhrer Hakuro stepped up to lead the country into rehabilitation.

If only it turned out that way.

Hakuro has been leading the country for almost three years now, and there was no way Amestris was anywhere near rehabilitation. Mustang was about a day's train away from Hakuro and was too swamped with reports brought in by his obnoxiously persistent subordinates around the region. Of course, the Fuhrer planned it that way.

He might not have been _as bad_ as former-Fuhrer Bradley, but he was far from the nicest man in Amestris.

(In fact, if the people had anything to say about it, he wasn't that great a leader, anyway. While Bradley's actions were less than humane, he at least took the time to address what it was he was doing and gave some sort of justification – even if it was a lie. Hakuro merely acted on an instinct that almost always proved false, including the successful imprisonment of Ishballan revolutionaries who preached peace and those who went against his new laws.)

Alchemists weren't necessarily frowned upon, like always, unless they were used as weapons, flushing out whatever dangers Hakuro thought there were. (Mostly around the North, but the Briggs Wall was keeping a firm watch on the border, despite his paranoia.) State Alchemists kept their Major status, but their duties were strictly for battle. Alchemy performed on the street was forbidden, due to how badly it affected the economy years before.

However, that didn't nullify the number of accidents, which had been the Fuhrer's intentions. It only brought about more, because alchemists couldn't fix what they broke. In light of this, engineers were sought out, and none were more popular than the Rockbell family.

**-x-**

"Aw, Den, quit walking from beneath me!" Frustration.

"_Arf!_"

A groan, the clatter of tools, a tail wags. Amused until the blue-eyed glower met his eyes, then a tail between his legs. Den whined and scampered to his bed on the other side of his master's workshop, sitting and watching, his head bowed in apology. His master, one blonde-haired, blue-eyed mechanic kneeled on the ground to pick up the scattered tools she'd dropped. With a sigh and small, apologetic smile, the young woman went over to her dog and rubbed at his head.

"I'm sorry, Den. You know how work gets to me now that I'm…" _all alone_, her mind finished.

The dog rubbed his head against her hand and she placed a peck on the tip of his snout, giggling as she was licked on her own nose. "Den, you're such a flirt!" with a wave of her hand, she went back over to her work table and unzipped part of her overalls and tied her sleeves around her waist. "Ugh, I could go for a break about now. Hey, Den, you need a walk?"

A happy bark was her reply, and she merely smiled and walked out of her workshop with a prancing dog behind her. "Okay, okay! Jeez!"

Winry Rockbell celebrated her twenty-third birthday just months before, where she celebrated alone and treasured the certificate that presented her the title of the youngest engineer, male or female, to ever receive her Mechanic License at age 20. She'd studied in Rush Valley when she was 16 and did so for a year before moving back to Resembool for another year, taking over her grandmother's shop. At age 18, she was rather sensitive; it was when she'd last seen her two best friends before they'd exited their world for good, or so she'd thought. There wasn't a way she could think of that would get her friends by her side again, but she wasn't an alchemist. Nothing she said was void, anyhow.

_Don't think like that._The young woman thought with a frown. _Even if they could, they've said again and again they've got nowhere to go home too. No matter how many times I've told them that we were…_

Winry forced herself to think of something else. She'd been good so far at trying to move forward with her life. Edward would've scolded her had he knew how hard it hit her. Especially now that her only living relative was gone.

_Damn it! Stop thinking such sad thoughts! If you keep getting sad like this, Ed and Al will feel sadness, too!_

It was a naïve thought, but it got her through the days alone. "Let's go, dog!" she called with so much forced happiness lacing her words, but her dog didn't notice. He was too busy doing the 'pee dance'. With a final chuckle, she led her dog outside… accidentally to the place where she used to take naps with the brothers.

_The… big oak tree._

* * *

><p>Merry Christmas, everyone!<p>

I'm really glad I had this chapter written out already (I'm finishing up Chapter 3 currently) so I could just get it up. I looked over it plenty of times, so it should be okay~ ^^ Just point out any errors or anything I made.

Hmmm~ What else. Well, you know what to do from here. Concrit is greatly appreciated, as well as amazing reviews! (First chapter was a total success and only had to be edited once. So, thanks! Hoped you like this one too!)

Next update is in the air. Pretty much whenever I feel ready to update. :D Problem? Too bad.

~Cookie


	3. Rosalie

Chapter Three: _Rosalie_

For most of the caravan ride, Edward had been distracted by dull brown smog covering most if not all of western Europe. There wasn't anything about this world that even compared with that of the vibrant greens and blues of the Amestrian valley; everywhere you looked in his world, was sheer beauty. Here, in 20th century Europe, you could believe that it was in a war-bitten state.

The blond went in and out of conscious many times before they made it to another camp somewhere in Switzerland. He was finally shaken of his previous tiredness and was on high alert, immediately beginning his scanning of surroundings. When he realized they would be safe for the night, he leaned over and shook his younger brother's leg. "I'm awake," Alphonse's soft voice was barely audible, but the twenty-three year old nodded and sat back in the same position the other Amestrian blond had taken, his left knee joint stiff and causing serious discomfort. Edward pretended he didn't feel it. "Brother, why don't you get out and walk around? I can practically hear how stiff your leg is."

With a scowl, Edward complied; there was no arguing with his only remaining family left, after all. He scooted across the caravan to the edge and jumped off, putting most of the weight on his right side to take the pressure off of the sore side. He limped around for a bit, walking North, staring at the dark, nearly-cloudless sky, dotted with bright stars that twinkled like a glint off a diamond. A cool night breeze blew Edward's bangs from his face, and he dared pull the band from his hair and let his long, golden hair blow back. Seconds later, he heard the padding of little feet stop behind him, and he spun around to see a little girl of about four years.

"Rosalie…" he flashed a small smile and allowed the young girl to stand beside him. When she hesitated, he sat down in the slightly damp grass and held his left hand out to her. She complied, wrapping her stubby mocha-colored fingers around his paler, calloused ones and smiled as he led her onto his lap, avoiding the chill of the dewed grass. Though she hardly spoke, he could feel the contentment radiate from the girl's body. "We'll be there soon. Just a few days more."

He felt her head bob, and he used his right arm to lean on as he lay back a little, letting her body become submerged in the moon's silver-white light, and he felt his heart melt for just a minute before he heard two more pairs of feet behind him. He craned his neck slightly to see his brother and Noah, and looked down at Rosalie. "She fell asleep instantly… and hasn't said anything to me still. But she'll still use me as her pillow."

Alphonse's eyes became somber; his brother had saved this girl from being sold. After all, she was the daughter of a gypsy whose owner forbade her from conceiving in the first place, as she would (and did) lose her perfect hourglass figure and would no longer be allowed to dance and get him money. That was four years ago. Edward had unofficially become her father by that time, and he tried everything in his power to be one for her.

Even if she really wasn't, she was the spitting image of the eldest Elric.

"Brother," the younger Elric walked to stand in front of his older brother, hoping to prevent a sorer neck with this new position. Edward understood and turned his body to a more comfortable position, glancing upward at his brother, who knelt down and smiled lightly at Rosalie's sleeping form. "The Elder says we'll be in Munich in a few days. He's sent myself and Noah to go get supplies in a small village in the East, do you need or want anything?"

Edward knew the question wasn't just pertaining to him but to the girl he'd taken in as well. "Well…" he began as he leant forward to bury his nose in his adopted daughter's hair. "Water and bread, maybe some chili for Rosie…"

Noah smiled; he always had a certain tenderness in his voice when he spoke to or about this little girl. Of course, it was nothing new. Apparently, according to Alphonse, she was the parallel version of a little girl that he couldn't save, just as Noah was the parallel of a girl he'd been able to help. She hadn't understood what they'd met by 'parallel' until she remembered the event from almost six years ago; Edward (_as well as Alphonse_) was from a different world, and as such saw many of the same people here as they did there. She frowned suddenly as Alphonse nodded and turned to follow him before Edward spoke softly.

"Noah…"

The young woman turned to greet him with one of her small smiles. "Ed?"

Edward seemed to falter for a moment before he picked Rosalie up into his arms and began to stand up, temporarily losing his footing as he balanced on his left metal leg. He sighed upon regaining his balance and walked toward her. Noah had to bite back her trembling lip; the look he was giving her… it wasn't a good one.

**-x-**

When Alphonse returned with three other men with bags of food and jugs of water, the caravan proceeded toward their was a rather quiet ride, at least by the younger Brother Elric's standards; Edward had resorted back to sleeping, as he often would on the travels on the other side of the Gate, and Noah was over with the young children – Rosalie was over there, too, silently playing with the children her age – acting as their caretaker until an older woman would take over.

Women, ranging from Noah's age to nearly eighty years old, looked over the children in rounds so that some could rest while being reassured that the children would be alright. Noah was the children's favorite, mostly because she wasn't very stern with them, even when she needed to be. Alphonse sort of admired that about her, seeing a little bit of his mother in her before he realized what he was thinking. _That's silly_, he told himself as he nestled beside his brother, who snored loudly beside him. _She isn't mom, she's Rose's doppelganger._

The warm night air wafted into the caravan as Alphonse began to daydream. His thoughts would go back to Amestris, however, wondering how the country had moved forward from the Bradley fiasco (_he knew the Council had taken back control of the country, but naturally, he wondered if Colo– General Mustang had become Head of said Council. He hoped so; if he couldn't be Fuhrer, he could at least be the closest thing politically._)

He wondered about the people he'd met along the way; Rose in Liore, Paninya and her foster father in Rush Valley, Halling and his family in Youswell, the Brothers Tringham in Xenotime… he wondered how their life was, if they'd moved forward and were living their lives in blissful unawareness as they always had. He always wished he had lived on the civilians' side of Amestris, not knowing about anything that was going on, even when the city was thrown into uproar when Bradley was murdered. But life had moved on, the Earth had kept on turning for them, and they moved past it.

Lastly, he wondered about the people who had stuck by them, even through the roughest of times; General Mustang and his crew, Mrs. Hughes and Elicia, his Teacher and her husband Sig, Granny and W- … Alphonse's eyes widened and his lip trembled; he and his brother had left Winry for the last time only six years ago – _Christ, has it been that long?_ – and it broke him; if Ed weren't going to say anything, than Alphonse certainly would. He missed home, the people in it, and the people he fought to protect.

The silver-white glow of the moon cast a spotlight in the middle of the caravan, and Alphonse stared right into it before looking up at the sky; what used to take his breath away in his world made him scowl in this one. The clouds weren't a light shade of gray as they moved across the sky, they were dirty and filled with sorrow. He feared that, if they clouds opened up, they'd rain either mucky water or blood. That's all this world was… blood, and dirt.

And, while the younger Elric would never say he hated anything, he couldn't say he_ loved_ this place.

**-x-**

"So, are there any further questions pertaining to our lesson?" Professor Edelstein looked upon the faces of his students before gesturing to the board behind him. Seeing not a hand raise – either from lack of understanding or lack of caring, he couldn't decide – he sighed and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Very well, please open to Chapter 5 in your text books and begin your work before the bell rings."

As the students did as he asked, he erased the things written on the board; it seemed that, the further they went into their semester, the less the students seemed to care about the lesson. Physics was an important science to understand; after all, science was all around them. He understood, he was certainly no Professor Hohenheim, but the students didn't have to completely brush off his teachings as if he were a maniac.

It had been six years since the death of the Universities finest Professor – _albeit the most troublesome_ – and it had taken its toll on his students, for sure. Hohenheim secretly taught his students what would happen if the world had taken on practicing alchemy instead of the path it had chosen, 'on this side', he tried to explain once. Edelstein didn't truly understand, until one of his former colleagues had tried to explain.

_"In Haushofer's book, there exists a world alternate to our own,"_ his colleague said; this had piqued Edelstein's curiosity by far. _"If what he says in his book is correct, and what a fairly reliable source had told me only recently, alchemy may have very well prospered instead of Physics, and the invention of the steam engine would not have pushed us further away from this forbidden science."_

It was an interesting theory, something Edelstein had wished to speak to Hohenheim about before his unfortunate death. The only other person – people, but he didn't know there was a second person as of yet – who would know anything about this would be his son. Edward Elric, who had supposedly taken his mother's maiden name as he had once despised his father so much. But, when Edelstein had seen the father-and-son together, they seemed to get along, at least for the most part.

_I have to know about this other world,_ Edelstein thought calmly as the bell rang, and each of his students shuffled out of the classroom._ And, Edward Elric, you will help me better understand it._

**-x-**

Roy Mustang stared into his mug of steaming black coffee, watching the swirling steam disappear in front of the pile of paperwork on his desk; _ooh_, how he'd like to burn it so. Just one _snap_ of his fingers, and… but, he hadn't practiced alchemy since the new Fuhrer came into power. Since then, alchemy was frowned upon in every form, unless they were studying in the realm of medicine.

In a country to the east – with which Amestris was trying to build a relationship so that they may be partners in trade – named Xing, they practiced a kind of alchemy called Alkehestry, which was used mostly for healing purposes. It cured illness, closed wounds, and did everything alchemy _should have_ been. Instead, it was used as a tool for war and would forever remain so. A young Alkehestrist had studied abroad to learn more about alchemy and, in return for this, would teach a handful of powerful alchemists to learn this.

Roy, understandably, was _not_ one of them, for he had experienced firsthand the turmoil that comes with being a State Alchemist.

A knock sounded on his door in the middle of his musings, and he looked up from his cup to look to the door. "Come in," he said with the familiar air of formality he once used even years before, putting his mug on his desk – away from the papers, as Riza wouldn't regret taking away his right to produce children if there were a ring of coffee on the documents – and turning the glass handle before getting up, placing his hands at his back and walking to look out his window.

The door opened with a soft _**creak**_ and, before the older man could turn his head to ask what it was the person interrupting his unofficial coffee break, he immediately stood at full attention and saluted Fuhrer Hakuro.

"To what do I owe this pleasure, Fuhrer?"

Hakuro smiled, raising his hand to ease the 'retired' soldier, and walked inside the small office. "At ease, Mustang. I've come with an important message from the Council." Roy might have lowered his hand to his side, but his back was still tense, his shoulders pushed back, his breathing so quiet one would question if he were breathing. After all, receiving a message directly from the Council couldn't be very good news if the Fuhrer were delivering it himself.

To cover up his unease, Mustang uttered politely – _maybe a little too politely…_ - under his breath, "Sir," and nodded his head before walking around him with a forced confidence as his dark eyes stared ahead of him.

* * *

><p>Ah, yes. I finally got around to finishing up this chapter in order to make my (<em>for-lack-of-a-better-word<em>) deadline. As soon as I finished talking about Rosalie, and after Ed and Noah had their brief encounter after Al left, I had a hard time deciding whether I should stay on Earth's side or Amestris' side of the Gate. So, yeah.

I apologize for any strange wording; it's been brought to my attention in another story of mine that I sometimes use the wrong words when I'm trying to describe something. If that happens to be the case, please don't hesitate to tell me in a review.

As far as my current position in this story, I have yet to start the fourth chapter. I have decided that it's much easier for me to plan things ahead of time, and then create a deadline for me to write the next small section, which will be sometime in May. (_I have it written down on a Calender_.)

As always, reviews are loved and appreciated! See you in May with the fourth installment!

(Sometime in April, when I'm sure I'll have enough of it to post, I'll put up a 'Sneak Peek' on my Facebook page! Make sure you like it so you may see sneak-peeks for both this story and _Eternal Bond_. If you're followin' me on here, stay tuned; the sneak-peek of Chapter 5 of _Eternal Bond_ will be up soon! :D)

-Cookie-


	4. Trouble at the Border

_Chapter Four: __Trouble at the Border_

Birds sang a melody so melancholy it almost brought Alphonse to tears. The birds – _as he'd worked in a library for a few months to collect money, even if it weren't much, and would often pick up books written by various authors of various categories _– sang as if they were dying, or something was dying by them, and they were trying to sing them one last song. He wondered if the birds were sad, but decided not to dwell on that thought too much as the caravan came close to the border.

Border patrol was most likely active, which meant that the Elrics would have to hide among the Roma in order to not be taken into custody as spies.

But, Noah was one step ahead of them. After bumping into the tribes Elder – an old, hunched over woman, one that Edward often mused with about life, his and hers – and foreseeing that the tribe would be in terrible danger with soldiers spread along the border, she begged Edward and Alphonse to hide among traveling sacks and the remaining scraps of their food – carcasses, ends of vegetables, cores of fruits, things of this nature – covered their scent enough where they wouldn't be caught.

An anxious Alphonse looked through a small crack between two laundry sacks, watching moonlight come and go as they began to get closer to the post located at Germany's border with Switzerland. Beside him, his brother's soft breathing sounded as though he were breathing through a bullhorn. Their heartbeats, both loud and aching in anticipation, hoping they'd be able to freely get to the other side of the large country of Germany. Alphonse looked to his right, into his brother's golden eyes, and the caravan stopped suddenly; if the sudden lurch forward by the younger Elric hadn't signified that already, the brakes of the roofless Ford Model-A squealed in protest to having stopped so suddenly.

Simultaneously, they looked down at the girl sleeping in Edward's arms on his chest; Rosalie would have no idea what was going on in here. Thankfully, not much of the moon's light was let in, so it remained dark enough for her to stay asleep until either Edward or Alphonse woke her.

Voices were muffled outside the caravan, and Alphonse leaned upward enough to look through a small knothole in the wood to the side of the caravan. The driver of the caravan was standing in the dirt, keeping a calm demeanor, explaining that the gypsies in the caravan were scheduled to perform at a fair in the next country over and needed to get through Germany first. The border patrol – or as Edward often preferred, the Nazi Fairies – were stern, and Alphonse could've sworn he heard a mild threat muttered under one of the policeman's breath. His teeth chattered as he lay his head back down and huddled beside Edward again.

"Brother," he whispered as quietly as he could into his brother's shoulder, "What'll we do if we're caught?"

Edward shot a sharp glance at Alphonse as he felt Rosalie shift in her sleep, and squared his lips in a silent "Ssh!"

Alphonse's next words died on his lips as he heard a woman squeal in protest to being pulled by the arm, and immediately sprang to action, turning over to peek once more through the sacks of laundry. Edward suddenly adopted a much more intense look as he readied himself, prepared to run away as far as he could. Alphonse looked ready to do the same as another gypsy was pulled off and thrown onto the dirt.

"_Search the caravan!_" one border patrol officer spat in German to another, who sprung to action, leaping onto the wooden caravan. The pitter patter of little feet scampered to the edge, where he heard Noah quietly ushering the children to wait by the – but the order died on her lips as she screamed, and the sound of a body hitting the dirt made Alphonse's blood boil; the officer, he… he couldn't have…

…but, he did.

"That…" Alphonse looked back to see his brother, knowing by now, that he was seeing red. "…has got to be the… the _lowest_…"

The next few moments happened in a blur.

Edward had quickly shifted Rosalie onto Alphonse, careful not to wake the sleeping girl, and grabbed one of the sacks that would no doubt reveal their hiding place. At least his brother and daughter would be safe, still.

Fire burned in the pit of Edward's stomach as he burst through the sacks of laundry, and within moments, guns fired in his direction. He easily dodged some, and others bounced off his automail as he used them as shields; he knew Winry would give him a concussion _and_ a migraine from him misusing her precious automail like he was, but this was rather important and didn't want to listen to her nagging voice in his head.

Just this once, since six years ago, he shut off any reason and acted strictly on instinct.

Dust and blood, both from Edward and not, flew in all directions. Bodies hit the floor, none dead enough to stay so, but instead wounded to the point of unconsciousness. One final bullet, which had been shot before the last officer fell in the dirt, grazed Edward's left shoulder but he hadn't time to feel the pain as he noticed the bodies of his comrades, covered in dirt and blood and sweat, lying along the trail. The driver had probably long-since run away from the scene when the first shot was fired into the sky.

"…Al. Let's go."

Alphonse shakily pushed sacks out of his way, staring at his brother as if he had, instead of only brutally injuring the officers, murdered them and eaten their flesh. He'd _never_ witnessed his brother fight so… so blindly before. At least, not like that. His elder brother, who he'd always idolized, could've easily killed these men. A dark side of Alphonse wondered what had stopped him.

_Oh. _

Edward went over to hold Rosalie, but stopped in his tracks before staring at his hands, horrified; he'd almost _killed_ a group of men, and he _dared_ try to touch his little girl with these tainted hands? No amount of wiping-blood-on-clothes would get the stains of their lifeblood from his skin. But, he also knew he couldn't just run away and lock himself in some building somewhere and never speak to his only remaining family again. He was a grown-ass man now, damn it.

"Let's go," he said sternly; Alphonse didn't point out, even for mood-lightening purposes, that his voice cracked. "We have to get over the border before they wake up."

Alphonse nodded, and the brothers made their way away from the caravan, toward their destination.

Toward the place where so many memories still burned Edward's self-conscious, even if he didn't show it.

_I can't believe… it's been six years_, Edward watched his brother break into a run upon seeing a hill with a large tree shading the spot, before following suit. The brothers, with Rosalie still fast asleep in Alphonse's arms, stared out at the brown country before them, clouds of dust rolling at each side of a small home at the base of a river.

Edward collapsed onto his knees as the gray sky was enveloped in dark-gray rain clouds and thunder rumbled overhead. Alphonse carefully did the same, leaning heavily against the large tree at the base of the hill, facing away from civilization, and the brothers simultaneously closed their heavy eyes.

Come daybreak, they'd begin their journey again, starting with a boat across the river to German soil.

**-x-**

Rain carried with it a sense of relief as it fell onto the pavement that was across a single row of Central apartments. People rushed inside, having failed in their attempts to beat the upcoming storm, the shuffling of footsteps and clothes brushing together. Doors slammed shut after being all but busted through, and rooms were lit up with candles in the window. It was relatively calm…

But, not in the apartment of Sciezka, the bookworm.

Once again, she was barricaded in a mountain – more like a fortress – of books, ranging from classic literature to action and adventure. Her glasses were pushed so far up her nose the black specs looked like they were a part of her skin. Her large eyes had grown larger as they scanned over the Amestrian text, 'ooh!' and 'aah!' occasionally leaving her thin lips as they pursed as she waited in anticipation, turning the page…

_**Riiiiiiiing!**_

Sciezka jumped into the air, the fortress of books that shielded her from society falling down upon her. Blues, greens, and reds dotted the floor around and on top of the brunette former librarian, and her voice wailed in exasperation before she managed to dig her way out of her prison. Carefully, as if avoiding underground bombs, she ran through her library and into the dining room, grabbing the phone and nearly dropping it again as she tried to calm herself. "H-Hello, Sciezka speaking!"

"_Sciezka!_" the voice on the other line was none other than Winry, and the young woman smiled jubilantly.

"Oh, hello, Winry!" she panted, sitting herself in a chair placed neatly – and quite conveniently – against the wall near her, spreading her long legs clad in long blue jeans out in front of her. "It's been a long time, it's good to hear from you! How are you!"

There was silence for a moment before a soft chuckle echoed on the other end.

"_I've been wading in water for the past two years Sciezka, but I'm still afloat!_" the pep in the young woman's voice never abandoned her, even if the words she said so casually were bittersweet. "_I've been planning a trip to Central; do you still live in your apartment?_"

Green eyes narrowed in thought; her home was hardly in any state to house company, as books and papers scattered the hardwood floors. The only clean area was a path that led from room to room; she didn't even want to ask herself how long it would take to clean up her apartment, but she masked her unease with a chipper voice of her own.

"Of course! In these times, it's all I can afford; the big-wigs cut our pay again to fund the upcoming campaign."

"_Ah,_" Winry seemed to nod on the other side of the phone, to which Sciezka did also. "_I've been meaning to visit you as soon as I could; are you free at the end of the month?_"

All the bookworm could think was, 'That's plenty of time to clean my apartment', and laughed good-naturedly into the receiver. "Sounds perfect! I'll be sure to get the guest room ready ahead of time!"

"_No need!_" the young woman laughed on the other end, and Sciezka cocked her head to the side, silently inquiring. "_I'll rent out an apartment next door! The shop's pretty dead as of late, and Granny can handle it. She offered to outfit my customers with spares that would last until they came to Central. I've been thinking of-_"

…But, the final words never left her lips. Sciezka stared out the window as lightning flashed, making the glass shudder. Moving toward it, she closed the curtains enough where she wouldn't see the mood-dampening weather. With a final hum of understanding, the brunette said quietly, "Well, it'll be a pleasure to be your neighbor, Winry. Let me know when you're in Central, and you can stay here until you're up on your own feet. Deal?"

"…_deal._"

They each said their goodbyes, and Sciezka hung up the receiver. The thought of her P.I.C. – _Partner-in-Crime _– moving next door to her was a bit exciting, but… it also was a bit strange that she'd want to move _here_. It wasn't exactly a place of meaning to the young mechanic, but everyone had their reasons.

She just hope she wasn't clinging to the only reason she'd visited the town prior to now.

_You've come too far to dwell on those memories now._

* * *

><p><em>So! The new campaign for Council chairman is upcoming, plus Winry's moving to Central for reasons unknown, <span>and<span> Ed and Al are nearing their destination. My apologies if things are moving a bit quickly right now. I know I tend to speed up beginnings in order to get to the plot. Hang tight, birdies~_

_Did you like it? Dislike? Love? Hate? Have I run out of opposites?_

_Maybe. _

_Please review and tell me what you thought! Concrit accepted, but please, no flames! Give any flames to Mustang, and he'll gladly mirror them back to you! _;D

-Cookie-


	5. A Time of Reflection

Chapter Five: _A Time of Reflection_

Time had a funny way of passing one by; sometimes fast, sometimes slow.

And for Alphonse Elric, it moved just a little too quickly.

The events of the day before - _when his brother had immediately sprung to action after a little girl was pulled off of their caravan and onto the dirt, and injured the German force that had attacked them_ - still burned in his brain, leaving a trail of blood in his subconscious. The screams and German shouts echoed in his head, and that's what stirred him awake.

"Nnh, wha-?"

It was very early in the morning; the kind of 'early' where the sun had not even risen yet, but somehow, you could tell that it wasn't nighttime anymore. The faintest twinkles of the stars signified the coming of the sun somewhere between that moment and a few hours later, but Alphonse didn't want to take any chances of them being seen… especially after the reckless act his brother had committed.

_Gives us just one more obstacle we have to overcome._

The ground was hard and the grass pricked against a small area of exposed skin near his shoes, putting the boy in more discomfort, if it were possible. His clothes were now wrinkled; his hair – _in its rich, golden-brown color_ – was sticking up awkwardly in all directions. With tired, slow-moving hands, he threaded his fingers through his hair as if to tame it, but it only made it more unruly. Tangles stilled his fingers, and he gave up in his pursuits to make himself presentable.

After yesterday, he decided anyone he met wasn't necessarily someone he needed to look his best for, even if he did like to at least get himself partially composed.

Through all of this, Rosalie slept in his arms, and he looked down at her. With a gentle push off of the tree, he put her into his brother's arms, letting a small, endearing smile graced his soft, child-like face as he watched the girl curl into her adoptive father's arms, his own encasing her in warmth.

With a soft grunt, Alphonse rose himself to his feet and gave the area a look-over. Below the hill the three vacated, there was nothing but tall grass, an open field that might have been a spot for building but had long been abandoned. By the base of the river, a small shack was visible, with smoke coming out of its roof and

A soft grunt from beside him made him whip his head to the side, his neck emitting a loud 'crack!' – to which he winced and nursed the area with his palm. His steely-gray eyes held the gaze of his older brother, whose golden eyes were cloudy with sleep and his mouth smacked open and closed with a click of his tongue. In his arms, Rosalie shivered and he looked down at her; she looked like the perfect combination of Nina, the little girl he still dreamed about that he couldn't save, and the girl Rose, who had taken care of Alphonse while he was away.

"Al… where… where are we?" as it was just moments after he'd woken up, he wasn't very 'Ed-like' quite yet, and his soft voice further proved that. The younger brother Elric looked around once more before narrowing his eyes over the body of water; if his memory served him right, they were right at the border of Germany. Edward realized this after a moment of looking around himself, deciding that they could easily make it from where they were to where they needed to be without attracting much attention.

(He just wasn't sure if there would be more headed in their direction, ever since the night before.)

The brothers met in silent agreement, molten gold staring into steely gray, before Edward was up on his feet with Rosalie. It was a surprise that with all of the movement she'd experienced that she was still asleep, but then again it was still dark outside. Alphonse nodded an affirmative and Edward took the lead, making his way down the hill, minding rocks and poison ivy and vines so as not to trip over them.

Once at the bottom of the hill, it was a clear run from their spot to the small cottage, and Alphonse was beginning to get nervous; it wouldn't be good of them both to go to the door, as his elder brother had just taken out German soldiers stationed at the border. While news wouldn't have traveled fast – in one night? Alphonse seriously doubted it – they couldn't afford to slip up for Rosalie's sake. So, Edward gave his brother a gentle shove toward the place, wherein Alphonse ran as quickly as his legs would allow, hoping that whoever owned the cottage didn't have a shotgun.

Up close, he could tell that it hadn't been very well maintained, but it was obvious that someone still lived there. With more stealth than he thought possible, he made his way up the steps and to the front door; there was a little window with bars that gave Alphonse the impression that the person who lived here was either some important official that threatened imprisonment… or was someone who also came across this abandoned wasteland. Hoping the latter would better suit the situation and had a lesser chance of getting them shot at, he swallowed his fear and put on a tough front, rasping his knuckles on the oak door.

**-x-**

The warm Amestrian sun beat down on the sidewalk of Central Headquarters' topiary garden, sending waves of the cool November air up. It swirled among the silhouette of a tall man somewhere in his mid-thirties, his dark military boots and deep blue uniform trousers outstretched on a bench outside of the military headquarters.

Jean Havoc took a drag of his cigarette, exhaling the light-gray smoke from his thin, cracked lips; not a day went by that he couldn't look at the broken streets of Central without remembering the invasion that had taken place almost six years ago. He remembered the large ship carrying soldiers in suits of armor – _it was sort of nostalgic, seeing as how Alphonse Elric used to be trapped inside a suit similar to those he had shot down, but the thought was swept from his self-conscious_ – and how he and his usual pack of imbeciles – _meaning Kain Fuery, Heymans Breda, Vato Falman and himself, plus First Lieutenant Hawkeye and Major Armstrong_ – had shot them all down without batting an eyelash.

So many years had passed between then and now, or at least it felt that way... the Council had been reluctant to put a new Fuhrer to power, but somehow, then-General Hakuro had managed to sway them and the group of men all let him take over. But, Jean was sure they were beginning to regret the idea after next to nothing had been improved.

One more drag of his cigarette left him with a false feeling of warmth, and he closed his eyes before staring up at the sky. The military as a whole – _or, maybe it just felt that way_ – had begun to feel much different after the brothers Elric's final departure from their home world, and Jean couldn't pretend not to notice; every morning nearly eight years before, Edward would come storming in and would hand his report to Roy Mustang, who would tease him and send him on his merry way. The two would get into theatrical arguments, like two brothers would, but often times it was Roy pointing Edward in a direction that would bring him closer to his goal.

Edward and Alphonse's disappearance had affected Roy the most, Jean thought as he flicked his cigarette butt onto the pavement and twisted his foot about until he was sure he wouldn't light the shrubs ablaze.

Jean found himself staring off into the distance for a moment as he decided on where he needed to be; his superior officer would be out of his meeting with the Council by now – _he had heard it had something to do with his State Alchemist Evaluation_ – so he should probably report there to look over paperwork that the lazy man would just be too wrapped up in thought to even acknowledge. Of course, it gave him something to do, so he wasn't complaining much.

Hell, often times he would imagine debriefing a cadet, just to keep the wheels in his head turning.

A yawn escaped the Lieutenant as he spun on his heel and made his way back inside the doors leading to the heart of Central Headquarters; if he was going to be back to his usual afternoon reading, he might as well get it over with so that he could wash the rest of his evening away at the Pub down the road. Perhaps he could convince his comrades to accompany him.

**-x-**

The crisp autumn air whooshed into a second-floor bedroom window, blowing the cream-colored curtains about in a frenzy and causing a loud ruffling to reverberate through the near-empty room.

After having called her dear friend Sciezka in Central, Winry knew she had to get packing, as it was a three day train ride and she still had to finish crafting the newer models of automail she had laying in her workshop; as it was only the blonde mechanic, her grandmother and Den now in this old farm house, she was able to expand her workshop a little, stray arms and legs littering tables she'd had crafted the past month. Her tools were still in her original workplace, although she had also moved one of the beds from upstairs down there so that her patients wouldn't have to lay on the couch, which was a good six feet away from the doorway of her workshop.

Business had continued to, as expected, leave the twenty-three year old busy with little time to herself. More often than not, she stayed awake to craft models for spans of time that usually were between three and five days, the only time to rest being in between appointments, which she usually took full advantage of and took naps here and there. It had been a while since she had gotten a full night of sleep, and being in Central might allow her to do that.

She had spoken with her grandmother earlier that week about moving to Central for good, and while Pinako had been a little reluctant, she agreed that Winry deserved the right to go out and do great things in other places, too. The retired mechanic knew that helping others was in her granddaughter's bloodstream, as both of her parents were doctors and her very grandmother was a mechanic and surgeon, both essential skills to have when one is an automail engineer. But when Winry suggested Central, the old woman questioned her motives.

They already have a large hospital, Pinako thought as her granddaughter finally came downstairs with her suitcases in hand. There isn't much motive behind moving there, unless…

"Well, I'm off!" Winry declared as her long blonde hair swished to the side when she looked back to smile at her. There was no hint of reluctance in her voice as her unwavering oceanic eyes stared into her grandmother's beady ones. Pinako walked over with a final briefcase, filled with her tools, and handed her an envelope of cenz the old woman had been saving for this moment – in other words, the money she'd collected from her many appointments – to which the blonde smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Granny. For everything. I'll be going now."

"Yeah," croaked the elder woman, scratching at the side of her cheek; goodbyes weren't her strong suit, nor were they Winry's. But, with a dry smile, she shook her unlit pipe at her granddaughter, making sure to bop her on the knee, making the young woman twitch. "Be sure to give me a call when you get settled in."

A warm smile broke apart her lips before Winry could feel the burning sensation of tears at the corner of her eyes. A nod, a hum in affirmation, and two long, muscled arms hugged the little old woman close. "You know I will. Bye, Granny."

And with that, she left her childhood home, staring straight across the countryside, not once looking back. After all…

_…they didn't._

* * *

><p><em>I swear, I didn't mean for this to take four months to get out. At first, I was prepared to really buckle down and work on two stories at once, but I think if I make myself work on more than one, updates would be all over the place. I have quite a few other stories going as it is.<em>

_(Um, as far as 'HIWtHI', y'all should give up on that one. It's Post-Manga, and I prefer Post-First Anime, and I haven't had any inspiration with it. Besides, it was something I wrote at school and I've been graduated for almost 2 years.  
><em>_As far as 'LaRS' -my Furuba fic- hang in there, I'll hopefully update with SOMETHING for that story by the end of the year.  
>With my projects in progress, don't hold your breath, and I'm sorry for unleashing such a harsh reality. -bows-)<em>

_Please review and tell me what you thought! _

-Cookie-

**PS; **To make up for lost time, I'll be uploading Chapter 6 pretty soon, since this chapter was supposed to be July's chapter and the next chapter was last months chapter and- OTL (Okay, no more deadlines! Chapters will come when they come! -though you can rush me aaaaall you want and give me ideas for later chapters or scenes you wanna see, etc-


	6. Chapter Six

_Errr... I have a lot of excuses I could use as to why I haven't touched this story in quite some time. Aaaaaagh. First and foremost, however, I am so, SO sorry that this is delayed by many months. I meant to get this up back when I uploaded the makeshift chapter-whatever for my Fruits Basket work. _

_Speaking of any and all older works: I cannot promise that they will be updated immediately. While I love my fandoms dearly, I am just too busy to sit down and write like I used to. However, I usually use nights to write bits here and there; I'll try to post more of this story, however, because I've been having a Fullmetal Alchemist ... 'thing' lately. But still, don't expect updates soon. Give me a month, maybe a week or two plus to get things under control. I won't give up, I will not abandon this. _

_Also, ignore the fact that I haven't come up with an official title for this chapter; suggestions? Leave a review! You'll even get a shout-out if I like your title!_

_Anyway, enjoy! (Remember to leave a review, or even favorite or alert this story or myself.)_

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Six<span>

A thin layer of sweat coated Edward's eyebrow as he sat on an obviously aged sofa, stains of years' past still evident and leaving a strange mix of people and perfume in his sensitive nose. To his left sat his brother, wearing a loose pair of cotton pajama pants and a tee-shirt that smelled of soap and saltwater. In a small study just one room over on a loveseat slept Rosalie, newly bathed as well and wearing a nightshirt much too big for her.

It happened to be their luck that they stumbled upon this abandoned little shack, because it was also occupied by someone Edward had been acquainted with in Germany several years before: Liam Myers, an English coffeeshop owner and half-Jewish middle-aged man . He and his father were good friends, as apparently his father bought only the best freshly-brewed coffee from her little shop, and brought home doughnuts for him to munch on.

Liam was currently in the process of digging out the bullet in the Amestrian blond's shoulder, it not having gone all the way through; apparently, the shot hadn't just been a graze, but had been deep enough into the shoulder to get itself lodged there in the first place. With a puff of warm breath, the man sighed, giving the younger man a narrow stare. "So, I'm guessing you'll need to stay here for a little while, eh, Edward Elric?"

At the deeper tone of the man's voice, the man in question flinched, gritting through his teeth the following as he felt a pair of sharp pliers intrude in his skin. "I-I… long enough for Rosalie to sleep and eat. We'll be out of your ha—ow!"

Alphonse pursed his lips at the sound of his brother's distress. "Excuse me, but… would you happen to have some sort of means of travel across the river?"

In order for the brothers – _with Rosalie in tow _– to reach Germany, they'd first have to cross the river that separated them from the country's official border. And, they had absolutely no means of transportation, so it was the younger brother Elric's only hope that perhaps, this man had some sort of raft to last them the journey. When Liam got a good grip on the bullet – _both to Ed's chagrin and relief_ – and began to pull it out, he turned his head up to answer Alphonse with a steady smile and nod.

"I have a blow-up raft in my closet, I'll get it for you later. For now, I want to get your brother's shoulder fixed up and allow you two some rest in some real beds- or, something more comfortable than what you've slept on."

The feeling of the bullet being pulled quickly out of his wound made Edward grit his teeth, an uttered curse clenched through pointed teeth before he relaxed, fists bunched at his sides. "There you are. I'll just disinfect it and wrap you up, and you can enjoy sleep for a few hours."

At the words, the blond outwardly relaxed, a content look on his face. "That… sounds heavenly."

**-x-**

Late at night a few hours later, Liam sat awake in his kitchen, a few supplies spread out across his kitchen table.

As Edward had gone in to check on Rosalie, Alphonse had informed the man of their plans to get to Germany, leaving out a few details such as the attack, and that his elder brother had a friend they could stay with while they were there. Liam had insisted on giving them some canned foods and a jug of water, just in case, and in kind the younger Elric gratefully yet, hesitantly accepted with promise of returning the raft to him on their way back.

In return for the explanation, Liam shared details with Alphonse about what his father was like 'on this side', curious secretly as to why Alphonse wasn't with Hohenheim but his brother was. He explained how he'd only known Hohenheim for a short time, but knew that he was a professor at the University and always talked about both of his sons. Alphonse soon after excused himself, thanking the man for everything, before heading into the living room to sleep on the sofa.

Presently, a few hours after that event, Liam found himself worrying over the two brothers. Hohenheim spoke often of his sons, but mostly how Edward was the spitting image of him in that he often took action before thinking of the consequences. In his older age, Liam knew this to be a rather unsafe trait, but knew also that Hohenheim had softened and took more things in stride the more he learned about the world. In meeting the brothers Elric for the first time together, he could tell right away that Alphonse was the more 'take the world in stride' one while Edward was a riled-up young man just like his old man.

_May he rest in peace_, he thought to himself, before packing a backpack with the supplies and glancing toward the small living space where the younger Elric lay asleep, silently wishing safe travels unto them both before flicking off the overhead light and padded to the front door, where he locked it, before disappearing into his study for the night.

**-x-**

The sound of the telephone ringing made Fritz Lang sit straight up in bed, the shrill ringing echoing in his brain as the last of his drunkenness faded away. A slight headache took place before he pulled his nightshirt away from his neck, fanning his slightly-sweaty neck and face with the material by stretching and releasing the fabric before slipping his feet in his slippers and padding over to his telephone.

"Lang residence; you'd better have a good reason to be calling before sunrise." Cranky voice, quickly replaced with relief as a soft voice sounded from the other side. "…Edward Elric, is that you? My word, I wasn't sure if you'd died, or…"

"_That's real funny, Mabuse,_" the know-it-all grin could be seen through the receiver as he heard that response. "_I'm to call so late… but I'm coming into town in the next few hours and was wondering if you had a room or two to spare?_"

Clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth, the film-maker scratched at his cheek, uttering a yawn into the mouth-piece. "It just so happens I do. I could always rent out a room at the Inn for you, but I've got an extra room at my place. What a strange relief it is to hear from you."

There were a few moments of silence, as if he was looking around and away from the phone, before his voice returned slightly harried. "_Yeah, you too. Thanks. I'll fill you in with a more detailed explanation later, but do you think you could not tell any of our acquaintances that I'm on my way? It's… sort of a secret._"

Surprised that the loud-mouthed brat he'd known some time ago had such a mode, Mabuse staged a double-take with an added noise of surprise. "I won't tell a soul. I'll have that room ready for you; see you in a few hours."

"_You too._" The click of the elder Elric hanging up was a little too loud for his tastes, before Mabuse hung up his phone as well; with an added sigh, he went back to his bed, scratching at the side of his face as he looked to his alarm clock, the big hand almost to the twelve as the smaller hand rested almost on the five. Well, there was no point in going back to sleep if he'd have to be awake in a few more hours anyway, so, he fixed his bed all nice and neat before headed to his kitchen to start a fresh pot of coffee.

* * *

><p>Mist rolled over the hills of Resembool in morning, the sound of birds chirping their morning aria accompanying a pair of sandaled feet walking slowly on the dirt patch leading through the small rural village. A basket of three different bouquets lay in one arm, crossed over a little stomach as the figure of a little old woman became visible through the mist.<p>

Pinako Rockbell, with Den in tow, headed toward the cemetery on top of the small hill a good mile from her house; it had been a while since she'd visited the graves of her son, daughter-in-law, and Trisha Elric, and figured it was high time she went now that she and Den were living alone in what used to be a full house. She sure could use some guidance and reassurance from her family, even if they couldn't talk to her but in spirit.

It was just as the sun dismissed most of the mist that the little old woman arrived at the cemetery, dew-dipped grass shining with each step closer to her desired headstones. Den's automail paw clanked loudly in contrast to the quiet morning, but Pinako didn't mind; it reminded her a lot of the past, of the boys she'd taken in and cared for, and of the girl she'd raised to be a strong, independent and headstrong woman.

Upon greeting the first of the three graves – _her son, Urey Rockbell… his wife's headstone lay right beside it _– Pinako dropped a bouquet of daisies onto the dirt mound, closing her old eyes. A small smile appeared on her face as she rested a wrinkled hand atop the headstone, rubbing her thumb along the top. "Your daughter's finally up and left home, ready to take on the world like you did." Den whined, his tail wagging beside Sara's grave, before he rubbed his nose up against her carved-in name. "Though, I'm not quite sure what her intentions are; if she were going to broaden her engineering horizons, she might've preferred to go to Rush Valley instead."

With a goodbye to her son, she dropped a bouquet atop Sara's grave before scuffling over to the grave of Trisha Elric.

To this day, she could remember the looks on her grandsons-in-spirit faces as they stood in front of her grave, tears rolling down one face as the other became hard and straight. Edward shouldn't have ever dealt with such emotions at such a young age, but she knew that it had crafted him into a stronger young man with each visit – while rare the older he got.

It took more energy than she had to fight back the tears that threatened to reach her eyes, but with a gruff clear of her throat, she managed. Den trotted up behind her, his tongue poking out to lick her palm as she paused in front of the headstone, before she looked down and fixed the dog with a look that read 'I'm alright'. Clearing her throat a second time, she put the third and last bouquet down on the dirt mound.

"Trisha… your boys. I have a feeling they're doing something reckless again… though I can't be sure. By this point, it's become a sixth sense of mine," her voice was musing, soft as it was in the morning air, before Den barked happily as if hearing the voice of the ever-kind Trisha Elric. "And… I'm not sure, but I feel an uneasiness in the air. I can't help but think your boys are for certain behind this feeling. I'm not sure where they are, but please… watch over them. And allow them to come home safely from… wherever they are."

Her prayers to her dearly departed seemed to rest in the air, even after she left the cemetery that morning. Den pattered behind, tail wagging, enjoying the morning sun as it finished its ascent into the sky, the mist nearly cleared. The sky was a fair blue color, spots of white clouds dotting the vast horizon as Pinako and her dog made their way back to the family house, intent on melding down some spare parts to then make into a new forearm plate in the coming days; after all, she couldn't slack now, as customers were sure to be coming in within the next few hours.


	7. Munich, 1929

_A shorter chapter this time, but ah, it's better than nothing amirite? _

_So I'm sorry this took a long time- please enjoy regardless._

* * *

><p>Chapter Seven: <em>Munich,1929<em>

Shayne Edelstein sat in his study, his eyes glued upon one of the journals he'd found at the University authored by none other than Hohenheim of Shamballa. His notes, the circles he drew… they had to _mean_ something, and it hurt his head to think that he couldn't figure out the garble of ink before him. _Mathematical equations, foreign marks… circles with symbols inside… all of these, I can't make sense of them! _

The door behind him squeaked open, and padded footsteps walked up to him. A tray with a bottle of ale and a glass now lay to his side, and a pair of thin, feminine arms wrapped around his neck. Soft curls rubbed across his cheek, and Edelstein turned his head slightly to rub his cheek against that of his wife, Sara. She looked weary, he noted. "Darling, whatever is wrong?"

"Shayne, dear," whispered Sara, her light curls bouncing as she leaned over to place a moist kiss to her husband's cheek. "You've been stuck in your study all night. Don't you want dinner? Or to come see your _wife_ sometime, maybe?"

Pursing his lips, the professor sighed and dog-eared the page of notes, closing it. A satisfied sound escaped his beloved, and he turned out of her arms to wrap her up into his own, tightening his grip as he proceeded to kiss her face lovingly. Mewls of satisfaction followed, hands threaded into hair, and breaths were caught as cracked lips attentively teased the skin at the base of her neck…

… "But, Sara, I'm almost through-"

_That was it. _Sara pushed her palms on her husband's chest, fixing him with a heated scowl, her eyes hazed with lust as her posture suggested something far more dangerous. "Oh, why don't you just marry those _damned_ journals, then?" she huffed, turning back out of his study and slamming the door behind her. The air around him became suffocating, _thick_, but he sat back down at his desk and opened the page he'd been reading, flattening out the dog-ear.

"Hohenheim…" he whispered to himself, caught right back into the net that was his own little world, "Were you… looking to find Shamballa? Or… were you looking to _protect_ it?"

**-x-**

"I've got to say, I'm a little surprised you called here first. I never expected to see you after you left Germany."

Edward laughed slightly, rubbing his hand behind his neck as his old comrade spoke; he didn't want to find himself here after all that had happened, but, the phone call from almost a week ago had piqued his curiosity, which didn't much happen anymore. This world… it didn't excite him.

With a guilty look, Edward said, "I didn't expect to show up here, either."

Alphonse and Rosalie sat on the sofa adjoining the two loveseats which Edward and Lang occupied. The latter turned to look at the two, his gaze staying on Alphonse a second longer. "Is… this the brother you talked so much of? He looks just like you, I can see the resemblance."

Upon being mentioned, the second Amestrian boy flushed lightly, a softer smile which resembled his mother appearing on his face. "I'm Alphonse Elric, it's nice to meet you, sir."

There was no denying that the boy was apprehensive, even after all the time that had passed, in this world; he couldn't get used to the fact that there would be so many people who resembled people he knew. This world in itself was a doppelganger of Amestris, and that could often confuse him. Seeing who was a large political figure turned villain sitting beside him, his movements became slow, almost cautious, fearing he'd awaken King Bradley again.

Edward could sense the unease in his brother's face even if he tried not to show it, so he reached over and patted Rosalie's lap. "And, this is Rosalie."

Lang turned his head to the young girl, who kept her face straight as the two met each other's eyes. "My, you are a beautiful little girl, aren't you? I bet Edward takes good care of you, right?"

Edward couldn't fight the breathtaking smile on his face when Rosalie nodded.

However, with introductions out of the way, Fritz Lang's face turned strictly business, "You're free to stay as long as you need to. But I expect a full, detailed explanation as to why you were in such a hurry to come back."

A snort escaped the elder Elric as he crossed his flesh leg over his metal one. "As long as you keep our return a secret, that is. I don't have a lot of… _friends_ here, if you can remember."

Alphonse intercepted Lang before he could speak, fixing his brother with a scowl that mirrored his signature one easily. "We're not even back five minutes and you're already causing trouble."

…he couldn't even fix his brother with a proper response, because he and Lang had looked at each other and begun to laugh to themselves at how _very real_ the accusation was.

...

Later in the afternoon, Edward had come up with the most ridiculous idea he'd probably ever had.

Lang was in the kitchen making tea with Rosalie helping him, leaving the two Elric brothers to discuss strategy to get to the University without being recognized. Since the elder of the two looked very much like his father, they wouldn't be able to just change hairstyles or hide behind big clothing. No, everything about them needed to change.

"Brother… are you sure we can get away with that?" Alphonse prodded his brother's arm with one finger, a look of annoyance on his face; Edward was always filled with crazy, sometimes overzealous ideas that could get any normal person killed. But, as either the brothers Elric or their acquaintances could vouch for, they weren't killed easily, no matter what it was they got into.

Edward, who seemed unsure of his own idea, merely shrugged. "We could probably pull it off, and we wouldn't have to do much with Rosie except put some powder over her face and shoulders. And with Lang on our side, we can certainly pull it off." His tone was smug, as if he knew exactly what it was they were doing, but Alphonse knew better. After fixing his elder brother with a narrowed stare, the older man held his hands up. "What, do you doubt me? My unrivaled, prodigal mind? For shame, little brother, for sha-!"

"It's tea time!" sang Fritz Lang with Rosalie at his heels. Both brothers looked over, one with a light expression on his features while the other still seemed rather worried; whatever his older brother was planning to do, he didn't like it. Nothing about their visit here seemed right… a somber feeling had settled in his stomach, and he was going to say something, damn it!

"Would you care for some tea, Alphonse?"

"Oh, yes please!"

_I… guess it can wait until after tea time—_

**-x-**

A little boy with dark brown hair runs around the large brick plaza of Liore, mimicking the sound of an automobile as he drives after his friends. He cackles, happy to be there, happy to be alive… and completely unaware of the events that had taken place prior to and after his birth.

Liore was a new place, thanks to the Armstrong family – namely Alex Armstrong, the Strong-Arm Alchemist. He had helped build their town from rubble, from blood-stained streets and the effects of alchemy… oh, the _alchemy._

No one had been affected more by alchemy than the woman who was the mother of this little boy. She had seen Liore before the slaughter of her people, when the Fullmetal Alchemist… when Edward Elric had strode in. Them having met _changed her_, made her stronger, all because of the choice words he'd spoken to her before his departure:

"_You've got to figure that out on your own. Move forward."_

_You've got a good, strong pair of legs, Rose, you should get up and use them…_

His voice was but a mere memory now, one she didn't often think about unless her son asked about his adventures. He was famous in Amestris, the 'alchemist of the people'. She would happily talk of how he saved his country, had righted his wrongs and became one of the biggest heroes of his time… and how his brother, almost as famous as he was, had been there every step of the way. Sometimes, her son didn't believe that she knew them at all, but she knew she did.

They were the first ones to pull her back up after Kane died.

"Mommy, mommy!"

The woman looked at her son, a warm smile reaching her face as she threw her arms around him; my, he was getting big, not too surprising as he was already eight years old. "What is it, Alex?" she laughed as he pulled her toward the group of children gathered in a circle.

"Mommy, please tell us about the Fullmetal Alchemist again!"

A mix of sadness and happiness appeared in her eyes, but she closed them as she knelt in front of the children and uttered a chuckle. "Any particular story, honey?"

When the child shook his head and his friends got comfortable, the woman sighed, choosing her words before spreading her arms out dramatically. "It was a hot day in Liore…"

* * *

><p><em>I have been horrible at updating this particularly story, but I was so caught up in Vampire Knight and writing EB that I had put this on indefinite hold until I could gain back inspiration. Luckily, my friends and I have gotten back into FMA1 -with Conqueror of Shamballa and like included- so they've further motivated me to keep this going. Of course, I don't think this is what they had in mind for me, hah. <em>

_I hope to write this regularly now. I am so into Fullmetal it isn't funny in the least. -Heiderich feels, aaah- So look forward to that. _

_As far as the Ed and Al and Winry reunion... it might take a while, but hey, at least they're in Munich! That means we're certainly getting close. I would give it a couple'a more chapters before they cross over- but enough of that. I wonder where Noah has gone? *Ponders*_

_If you feel like it, please drop a review. As I'm a little on the rusty side -Fullmetal isn't exactly sexy bite scenes, people- any constructive criticism or any ideas you guys might have are greatly appreciated. (When I plan things ahead on my own, I lose interest and give up. So your guys' input is greatly needed for this story to continue, as I write chapter by chapter- which in truth is a stupid idea, really-)_

_Much love! _^_^/

-Cookie-


	8. A Look into the Past

_Happy Third Birthday to Return to Shamballa_ _and Eternal Bond!_ _One of which is actually finished, but fear not! Things will be continuing on here in just a bit. _

_At first, I was going to leave it at the first half, and make it Chapter 7.5 or something, but I decided not to. Obviously. My Fullmetal '03 muse is very intense right now, so expect a few updates for this story as well as for __Anything But Ordinary_**.** (_Also, expect an update for that before New Years' Eve. Ayyyy.)_

_I apologize that I've taken so long to update this - the muse comes and goes, and when I get back into it, it's never enough to actually write something. It also didn't help that I forgot what the super-awesome plan was going to be with the loss of my muse, so when I found Conqueror of Shamballa and watched it a few times and got an idea, which is written below. It's probably a bit lackluster, but uh. Oh well? _:3

_Please read this, enjoy it maybe, then tell me what you think in a review. I'm a bit rusty, and actually really stressed out that I'm not writing EdWin rn, but I'll live because I give it about two or three more chapters. _:U _Look forward to it! I plan to work on this and ABO next year and hopefully finish one of them, maybe? _

... ... _I get the idea that none of you believe me. Smart people, you are all are. And super great. And beautiful/handsome. And sOOOOOO smart. _

_Anywho, continue on!_

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Eight:<span> _A Look Into the Past_

"We have to keep a low profile," Edward said quietly into the night air as he leaned on the deck on the back of Lang's apartment. "The last time Al and I were here, we had the whole Thule society on us… the last time we were in Germany, Alfons… he…"

Fritz Lang took a drag of his cigarette, or perhaps half of one, and leaned on the banister. "Things definitely got out of hand; I wasn't there, but I wonder if things would have been different if I had?"

"No," Ed sighed, turning around and leaning against the same banister. "I don't think so. Eckhart was after my…" He knew that Lang was familiar enough with the American concept of an alternate universe. Still, sometimes it was strange to talk about it even with the knowledge that it existed. "Was after a world that wasn't hers. She said that she feared it, and thus… sought to destroy it." His hands found his trouser pockets and he stared back into the door, seeing Alphonse telling Rosalie a story and her smiling and clapping. "Alfons… Alfons told me that he rigged up one of the extra rockets, and he went ahead and sent me over… to my home world."

Golden eyes looked to the side and wasn't disappointed to see Lang's eyes open, widened, before he exhaled, a puff of mist clouding his features for a split second before it dissipated. "And you got back alive, did you? Well, I'm glad you found your way back. But, why? Certainly you wouldn't have just decided to show up after six years, right?"

In the span of a few seconds, Edward's face turned from reminiscing to serious, glancing up at the filmmaker with piercing golden eyes. "I got a phone call from one of my father's acquaintances from the University. He found some journals of his, about… 'Shamballa', and asked if I wanted to come and get them. I'm not sure if that's his only objective… but, I figured I hadn't visited Heiderich in as long as I've been away, so…" it was a touchy subject for the Amestrian, but he persevered. "He probably wouldn't be too happy with my being away as it is."

The laugh that escaped him was brittle at best, but he didn't say anything more, even with Fritz Lang announced he was going to sleep. He waved him goodnight, but said nothing else.

The sound of the older man's footsteps disappeared… but, a new pair joined him. Looking up, Ed came face to face with Al, who looked concerned.

Leaning against the banister close to his brother, the tinny-eyed boy said in a low voice, "Do you really think the plan will work? I mean, I don't look enough like you or the … other me?"

"I don't think so," Edward turned to give his little brother a contemplative look, sizing him up and down – _but mostly up _– and blowing out a puff of air. "You've got mom's facial features mostly, not to mention your hair is just brown enough to not look gold like mine or dad's. You'll do fine."

Alphonse bit on his bottom lip. "And, you said Mr. Lang was coming too, right?"

"The plan wouldn't work without him; remember, you're his intern coming to pick up some inspirational materials that Edelstein has in his classroom. Rosalie will bunker down with Gracia, if her flower shop is still close-by, and I'll… I'll figure out a way through the back. I've broken into a villa with optimum security before, I think I can handle something like a University. It's more crowded, people will be less likely to notice."

Nodding his head, the younger Elric elbowed his brother. "Do you think Edelstein is interested in Amestris, too? Like… that woman was? Do you think he wants to invade it?"

Ed pursed his lips. "I don't know. Maybe that's something we should keep our eye on. Remember, we're supposed to be looking for the Uranium bomb still – we're used to wild goose chases. We'll get dad's material, study it and figure out if it's got some sure way to close the portal, and…"

_That's right, _thought Alphonse, _the portal that they made on this side was a permanent one… they used Envy as material, and things that came from the gate itself can be used to open it. _Combing his fingers through his sandy locks, he hummed thoughtfully, crossing his arms across his chest in a manner that mirrored Edward to a T. "I wonder if it's still there… or, if we'll need to—"

"_Alphonse_," Edward's voice broke the boy's hopeful sentence right in two, making the other look at him somewhat deflated. "I already told you. Our mission is to get the materials, study what's inside, and maybe see if it's got anything about the Uranium bomb or Huskisson." The welcomed sadness on his brother's face made Edward's heart tighten and twist, and he quickly added, "We'll see how it goes. I know you want to go back, but… this is the world we live in now, this is…"

"Don't say it, Brother," quipped Al, his tone sharp, "Don't say that word. You know it isn't."

As Alphonse made his way back inside, Edward wondered if his brother was being too dramatic, or… or if he was just so unattached that the words flew to his tongue before he could stop them. _No, he's right, _dark lashes fluttered over golden irises, and sock-clad feet flitted toward the door, opening and closing it with as much noise as a sneaking child on Christmas. The click of the lock signaled his ascent back inside, and as he watched Alphonse crash on the sofa and turn his back to him, he sighed through his nose and turned in the direction of the hall, deciding that the study would be the safest place to sleep.

Before he closed the door, he muttered, more to himself than to anyone else.

"This place… it'll never… be home."

And in his 'sleeping' state, Alphonse's frown melted into a relaxed grin before his body succumbed to sleep.

The moment Winry's bright blue eyes fell upon the bespectacled Sciezka waiting for her on the station platform, her face split into a wide smile, waving her right hand up over her head as her left carried a heavy suitcase. A pair of beat-up jeans and a long-sleeved blouse donned her figure, with her white boots clicked against the light stone walkway. "Sciezka! Over here!"

"Winry!"

The two women ran to each other and embraced, the brunette bookworm elated to see her long-time friend after so many years; the last time they had seen each other was six years ago… the same day that Edward had come crashing back into her life for mere minutes before he disappeared for good. Sometimes it was hard to remember such a crushing day… the blow it did to her heart.

Well, at least she had gotten to embrace Edward the way she had almost meant to. At least… at least she got to see him at all before he went saving the world again.

_"Same old Ed… home for five minutes and you're off on another mission. But, you can't go into battle with __that__ arm and leg."_

_"Thanks. But they may not fit me, I've grown, y'know."_

_"Who do you think you're dealing with here?"_

Sciezka led her out of the train station and surprised the blonde with a cab waiting for her on the other side. It had been a while since she'd been inside a car at all, with Resembool being a small enough little town not to need such dirty, smelly cars. She was just fine with her bicycle or her own two feet, thank you _very_ much.

"How far away is your house from here?" Winry asked as the cabbie took her suitcase and put it in the trunk. "Oh, careful with that, my tools are in there!"

Emerald-green eyes flicked to the blonde mechanic and she let out a little chuckle as she got into the backseat on the driver's side. "Oh, not too far; it's closer to Headquarters than it is to the station. It's a good ten minute drive, but with your heavy baggage, it would have taken much longer to get there by foot." Rubbing behind her neck, she chirped, "I'm really glad you called; it's been a while since I've seen you."

Winry laughed, but it was void of any amusement. "Yeah. Six years, right?"

_She pretends to forget, but… she knows how long it's been. She's not seen them in as much time as she's seen me. I wonder how she's doing… how she's really doing._

The two women fell into a comfortable silence, thoughts of similar topics floating around in their minds. Thoughts of golden hair and the sounds of alchemy sizzling in the air at the sound of hands clapping together…

_However she is… I'll bet Mr. Hughes can fix it right quick. He always had a knack for making her feet better when it came to those pig-headed brothers of hers._

**-x-**

It only took Winry about two hours to completely unpack her things in Sciezka's second bedroom, even if she didn't bring too much with her. A suitcase of clothes, a hairbrush, some extra money… and her trusted wrench. Her grandmother would take care of her customers, at least until she could figure out a way to have them come to Central. She wasn't sure if they would, considering the three-day ride on the train and even longer than that by car.

If she couldn't figure out a way, would she have to put something like her love of engineering on the back-burner? And, what would she do? Being an automail engineer had her up close and personal with medicinal science… perhaps she could undergo being a surgeon? It was something she'd have to brush up on. She wouldn't join the military, no matter what, but… a job at Central hospital?

Heaving a sigh, the blonde exited her new bedroom and left the door ajar as she made down the hallway to join Sciezka in the living room.

"Have you finished unpacking?"

Blue sought out the jade-green eyes of the bespectacled young woman sitting in the corner of the couch, and she flashed a triumphant smile toward her. "Yup! I figured I'd go shopping for a while, get some essentials. Do you want to come? Do you want anything?"

"Oh, no, I couldn't possibly…"

"It's alright if you don't have money – I took some of the cens I earned working at my grandmother's shop. I don't mind paying for you."

"But… I couldn't let you…"

"_Please,_ Sciezka? I don't know a lot about this town, I've only been here a few times. You're the only one I really know around here. _Pleeeeease?_"

In the span of a few seconds, the blonde had come up real close on Sciezka, her nose almost touching the others, blue eyes wide and sparkling because she _knew_ that the more she begged, the more likely it was that the brunette would give in. With a woebegone sigh, the young woman on the couch was on her feet and rubbed behind her neck, laughing a little nervously.

"Fine, I'll come with you, on one condition."

Winry blinked and straightened, not knowing the brunette to make conditions with people too often. "What's that?"

"You come with _me_ to visit Mrs. Hughes… and, Mr. Hughes."

The way the bittersweet smile bloomed on her face almost broke the bespectacled woman's heart.


End file.
